To date, there have been known sample sorting apparatuses which automatically sort sample tubes containing samples, in accordance with test types, test items, and the like. See Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-40034.
JP2002-40034 discloses a sample sorting apparatus which sorts sample tubes in accordance with test types. Here, three rack housing sections are provided corresponding to three test types, and a plurality of empty sample racks are housed in each rack housing section in advance. When a sample rack holding sample tubes is fed to the sample sorting apparatus, a sample tube is taken out of the sample rack and the taken-out sample tube is conveyed to a sample rack in a rack housing section corresponding to its test type. After sample tubes are sorted in this manner, sample racks in the rack housing sections are transported to a testing apparatus.
In the sample sorting apparatus referred, when empty sample racks are not set in the rack housing sections, a user needs to prepare an empty sample rack and set it in a rack housing section. Thus, the greater the number of processes of samples is, the more frequently empty sample racks have to be set, which may impose troublesome work on the user.